Opposites Attract
by Fiora Scarlet
Summary: When Pyrrha realizes she likes Blake as more than just a friend, she turns her attention to wooing the Faunus girl. Can the relationship of the confident Pyrrha and the shy Blake last, or are their differences simply too far apart to get along? Pussy Magnet dedicated to PartFootball.
1. True Feelings

_Is she the girl from my memories?_

It was a question that had been on Pyrrha's mind ever since she had seen the real Blake.

_It couldn't be, right? She disappeared all of a sudden, why would she suddenly reappear out of nowhere?_

It was a question she desperately wished to know the answer to, yet at the same time worried that she might never know. The fact that Blake seemed to shoot her quick glances every now and then had definitely strengthened Pyrrha's beliefs, but she wasn't sure if Blake looked at her out of remembrance or just because she realised she was being watched. The cat Faunus was a very perceptive girl after all, something she had shown several times since she had started at Beacon.

Taking a look at the clock beside her bed, the time was 3:23 AM. The sounds of Nora occasionally talking in her sleep and Jaune's light snoring the only noises that filled the room due to Ren always sleeping so silently. It was a peaceful atmosphere, one which Pyrrha very much enjoyed, but as much as she enjoyed it, it did nothing to ease her mind of the question that plagued her thoughts. Pyrrha didn't manage to sleep at all that night, mulling over her thoughts as the sun crept into view through small cracks in the curtains. At 6:30 AM, the rest of her group was woken up by the loud alarm that blared through the halls to notify the students that it was time to get ready for their classes.

'Ugh,' Jaune complained loudly, 'every morning that thing goes off at 6:30 sharp. One of these days I swear I'm gonna go deaf.'

Nora was up and about as cheerfully as ever in no time. The noise never really seemed to bother her, and if it did she didn't make it known. Ren also carried out his regular morning routine, showing some disdain for Nora's uncoordinated style.

'Hey Reeeeeeen!' Nora excitedly chirped over the sound of running water as Jaune hopped into the shower, 'I had this reaaaally fun dream, right? So there I was in the middle of the desert, and a bunch of Death Stalkers show up, right? And they're all like, snippy snappy with their claws, and I'm like wa-chow, kapow! And then they all die, and I'm like, I saved the village!'

Ren smiled slightly at Nora's dream. She always had a habit of telling him silly stuff like that, and he found it quite endearing. Pyrrha was amazed that Ren could even keep up with Nora's frantic nature sometimes, and couldn't help but smile at how well the two got along.

_I wonder if we could have been like that…? _Pyrrha wondered, thinking back to the girl from her memories. Putting it out of her mind for now, the group got ready for their class at 8:30 AM, heading out together as they usually did.

About ten minutes into class, Professor Port had begun relaying another one of his anecdotes to the students, Pyrrha noticing that she was missing quite a lot of what he was saying.

_I guess losing sleep last night is really going to have an effect on me today, _she thought to herself.

'Nikos? Miss Nikos?'

Pyrrha jolted awake at the sudden call of her name, noticing Port looking at her rather concernedly.

'Miss Nikos, if you would like to stay after class, I would like to speak with you.'

Pyrrha nodded in response, a few murmurs coming from around the room. Pyrrha managed to catch a few of them to her dismay.

_She acts so high and mighty all the time, and then has the nerve to sleep in class?_

_She thinks she's so good because of who she is, but she's doesn't even pay attention?_

'That's enough!' Port fiercely stated, the majority of the students quietening down afterwards much to Pyrrha's relief. She tried to block out any of the other spiteful comments, instead straining her eyes to focus on the rest of the lecture, Port having moved on to the weaknesses of certain species of Grimm and how to exploit them in battle. After the lesson, Pyrrha waited for the rest of the classroom to clear out before heading down to speak with Port.

'So Pyrrha,' he began as he began writing on the blackboard behind him, 'what's wrong?'

'Nothing, sir. I just had a bad night's sleep, that's all.'

'Come now, you didn't think you could fool an experienced Hunter, did you? I know you, Pyrrha. You're a diligent, hard working student, and I know nothing outside of the extreme would keep you from sleeping. What happened?'

Deciding that hiding the truth from him would be useless, she confessed.

'I can't get this person out of my head. I feel like I've met them before, as if we were best friends at one point but she doesn't even recognise me. I just… can't stop thinking about it. It's driving me crazy.'

'Friendship problems, eh? I understand. Listen, don't worry about what other people think of you. Just go talk to them about it. The worst that could happen is she doesn't know what you're talking about, and the best case scenario is you find out that it is your long lost friend. What do you have to lose?'

Thinking on his words, Pyrrha smiled contentedly.

'You're right,' she said, happy that he was so understanding. 'I'll speak to her no later than this lunchtime.'

'Good,' he responded, his moustache conveying his contentment with her response, 'and Pyrrha, no more sleeping in class.'

She giggled a little at his jolly attitude, leaving the classroom with her head held high after Port's encouragement.

The time seemed to fly past afterwards, until finally the clock struck 12:00 noon.

_This is it, _Pyrrha thought to herself. _Now's the time I need to go talk to her._

Making sure she to apply some makeup to cover the bags under her eyes, she grabbed some food with the rest of Team JNPR before heading out to find Team RWBY, spotting the signature blonde refined dress of the Schnee heiress relaxing in the shade under a tree outside. Walking over towards them, she found Blake, Yang and Ruby sitting there with them, Ruby and Yang laughing as Yang seemed to be teasing her sister while Blake chose to quietly read a book instead.

Awkwardly making her way over there, she approached Blake.

'Hey, Blake,' she nervously started, the quiet girl raising her eyes from the page to meet Pyrrha's, 'would you come me for a minute? I need to talk to you about something pretty personal.'

Ruby practically squealed in delight at Pyrrha's words, obviously misunderstanding the intention behind her words.

'Sure,' Blake replied, bookmarking her page before getting up to follow Pyrrha across the grass to a secluded area. 'So, what did you want to talk to me about?'

'I've been thinking, and it's been on my mind for quite a while,' Pyrrha began, 'but, did we ever meet before we came to Beacon?'

'Not that I know of,' she replied. 'I lived in Vacuo for most of my life. I only came back here to enrol in Beacon because it's such a prestigious school for Hunters and Huntresses.'

'I see…' Pyrrha responded, slightly disheartened that Blake wasn't the girl she remembered. She had vivid memories of a small, black haired cat Faunus girl that used to live on the Valian streets, and was absolutely certain that Blake was that girl. To have that theory shot down was a little disappointing for her.

'So, we've definitely never met before then?'

'…No.'

The hesitation in Blake's voice placed some seeds of doubt in Pyrrha's mind, but she wasn't going to dispute that right now. Sad but satisfied, she had gotten the answers she sought, so she thanked Blake for giving her some time to talk and made her way back to the dorm room. It was a Friday and they had no lessons in the afternoons on Fridays, so she had the whole weekend to think over it. She lay in her bed for hours, but she couldn't tear her mind away from Blake for some strange reason.

_She's already told me that it wasn't her, so why can't I get her out of my head?_

…_No._

_No way._

_There's no way I like her like that._

_We're just friends, and that's all I want us to be._

_Isn't it?_

Pyrrha knew from the fact that she was doubting herself that she did in fact like Blake in a romantic way, but she was too embarrassed to admit it to herself. Soon after, in barged the bundle of joy that was Nora Valkyrie, immediately spotting Pyrrha's blushing face and charging over to see what it was about.

'Oh my God Pyrrha that is soooooo cute! Why are you blushing? Wait, wait, I can do this! You're constipated!'

Pyrrha couldn't stifle her laughter at Nora's ridiculous suggestion.

'No, Nora,' she chirpily replied, 'I'm not constipated.'

'Hmm… then how about… you're in love!'

Pyrrha's face immediately turned to one of surprise at Nora's guess, giving the ginger haired girl all the confirmation she needed.

'Oh my gosh, who is it? Tell me, tell meeeee!'

'I'm not telling anyone who it is I like, Nora.'

'Come on, you can tell me! You know I'd never tell anyone.'

She said it with such a sweet and innocent tone that for a moment Pyrrha almost believed her.

'Sorry, but I'm pretty sure you'd tell just about everyone the second I say their name. And then you'd go around and tell them again,' Pyrrha replied with a smile. Nora's hyperactivity was a refreshing change of pace every now and then, and her antics never failed to cheer Pyrrha up when she was feeling down or unsure about something.

'That's no fun,' Nora pouted. 'I promise I won't tell anyone, pretty please?'

'You're not gonna leave me alone until I tell you, are you?'

'Nope.'

Sighing, Pyrrha chuckled.

'Fine, just don't tell anyone. I want them to find out from me, not from anyone else. It's Blake.'

'Ooh, that's not who I was expecting. I mean, I knew you didn't really have an interest in guys but I didn't think Blake would be your type,' Nora commented.

'There's just something about her that I find myself attracted to,' Pyrrha answered.

'Maybe it's your semblance drawing you closer,' Nora joked.

'Yeah, maybe…'

Pyrrha seemed to take the suggestion quite literally, and Nora realised that the Faunus girl was the only thing on her thoughts at the moment, so left her to think on her own for a while.

_What is it about her that makes me like her? Is it just because she reminds me of that girl from my past, or do I genuinely like her?_

Pyrrha couldn't understand it. She had never felt this way before. She'd had crushes in the past like every other girl, but her heart felt like it was fluttering every time Blake crossed her mind. That afternoon, she decided to go look for Blake again to talk to her further. She tried searching outside again, but Team RWBY had gone somewhere else, so she then headed to the library, figuring that that would be the next place for Blake to go. Sure enough, when she arrived at the library Blake was indeed sat in a corner of the room, completely engrossed in her book. She didn't even notice when Pyrrha walked over to her.

'Ninjas of Love, huh?'

Blake panicked, unaware that she was being watched before the embarrassment took over her as she tried to hide the book.

'I, uh… I'm just reading this because a friend of mine is reading it, so I wanted to be able to talk to them about it,' she sad timidly, trying to cover her tracks.

'Oh yeah? What's their name?' Pyrrha teased, knowing full well Blake was loving the book judging from how lost in the pages she was.

'Alright, you win. Please don't tell anyone about this,' she begged.

'You don't have to worry about that. In fact, romance was why I came to find you.'

'You're having trouble with romance?' Blake asked.

'Not quite. I wanted to know more about you,' Pyrrha confessed. 'Like, would you ever date another girl?'

'As long as they're friendly I'm willing to give anyone a chance. I don't see the point in restricting yourself in love for selfish reasons, so I don't mind whether they're male or female. All I ask is that they be a kind person, especially one that doesn't discriminate against the Faunus.'

'I see,' Pyrrha responded, obviously thinking hard about her answer.

'What about you?' Blake replied, interested in Pyrrha's reasoning for asking the question.

'Well I told Nora about how I feel about you and then-'

Realising that Pyrrha had just said that out loud, both of their faces turned a shade of crimson, Pyrrha's out of embarrassment and Blake's out of surprise.

'You… you like me?' Blake shyly asked, her golden eyes wide with shock.

'I'm sorry, I really need to go!' Pyrrha said, hastily making her exit.

'Hey, wait!'

Blake tried to shout after her, but was soon shushed by the librarian. Pyrrha was much faster than her anyway, so chasing her would be pointless. She decided to confront her some other time about it.

_I'm such an idiot! How could I just let that slip out like that? She's probably going to think I'm some kind of freak now!_

Pyrrha couldn't help but fret over what Blake might think of her, and she almost lost sleep over it again, only the aching tiredness forcing her into the realm of unconsciousness. Meanwhile, across the hall in Team RWBY's dorm, Blake was sat in bed thinking about what had happened in the library.

'Hey, Weiss,' she called out, the white haired girl turning to look at her.

'What is it?'

'Someone confessed their love for me today,' she told her, remaining vague on the details.

'Aww, that's quite cute. Is it someone you like?'

'Yeah, I guess you could say that,' Blake answered, a small smile crossing her lips. Pyrrha's interest in her had definitely made her happy, and a thought crossed her mind.

_Maybe I should tell her the truth about that girl she met all those years ago, _she thought to herself, before peacefully laying down to sleep, images of Pyrrha floating through her head.


	2. A Night to Remember

It was a Saturday morning, the sun shining brightly through the window. Pyrrha was the first one to wake, judging by the snores and occasional movements of her teammates. Thinking back on the events of the previous day, a bright red blush spread across her face.

_I told Blake that I liked her…_

Fretting over what Blake's response would be, she got up and went to go have breakfast to take her mind off it. When she reached the cafeteria however, there were a few people already there, one of which was none other than the Faunus herself. As soon as she saw her Pyrrha immediately turned around to leave, Blake spotting her as she left.

_I don't think I'm ready to hear her response just yet, _Pyrrha thought to herself. She hadn't been expecting Blake to be awake so early, much less in the cafeteria. Blake meanwhile continued to cutely nibble on her tuna, her mind also focused on Pyrrha's words from the day before. She couldn't help but think it quite endearing how the confident Pyrrha completely shut down at the mere sight of her, and after she had finished eating she set out to search for Pyrrha.

_She probably won't be in her room. That would be too obvious. It's clear she's trying to avoid me so she'll probably be hiding somewhere else, but somewhere not too far from the cafeteria. She didn't know whether I'd get up and follow her so…_

As Blake walked past the ladies bathroom, she turned her head and a small smile cracked across her lips.

_There._

Pushing open the door, she did indeed find Pyrrha inside, just staring into the mirror before animatedly creaking her neck to face Blake, once again losing the words to say to her.

'Hi, Pyrrha.'

'Hello,' she responded, trying to sound as natural as possible.

'You're really bad at the whole hiding to avoid me thing, you know that?'

'I just… I…'

'Don't worry about it, I understand,' she reassured the redhead. 'I get that what happened yesterday was probably quite embarrassing for you, and that's fine,' Blake comforted.

'Yes, that's one way of putting it,' Pyrrha replied nervously.

'You want to talk about it somewhere else?'

'Am I allowed to say no?' Pyrrha asked.

'Nope,' Blake answered with a mischievous grin.

'Guess I've got to go along with you then,' Pyrrha begrudgingly stated. Part of her was nervous, but another part of her was happy that Blake was forcing her through this. It would give her a chance to put her feelings out on the table without any regrets, and hear Blake's thoughts at the same time. Heading to Blake's favourite corner of the grounds, the two sat basking in the sunlight while they talked.

'So, you like me in a romantic way, right?' Blake asked.

Straight to the point.

'Yes, I do. I thought it was just because you reminded me of someone else, but afterwards I still couldn't get you out of my head. I realised that I genuinely did love you. Maybe it was my memories that sparked my interest in you, but somewhere along the way I fell for you Blake.'

'I see,' she replied, obviously thinking about what her next words were going to be. 'If that really is the case, then meet me later tonight. I'll be waiting at the entrance to Beacon at 7 PM. We can talk more then. Don't be late!'

With a smile, Blake left after saying that.

_She couldn't really be…_

Pyrrha was ecstatic at the thought of Blake being interested in her as well, rushing back to her dorm room practically squealing in delight at the fact that they would be meeting again that night, thoughts of what their night-time activities would entail rushing through her mind.

_Does this mean she likes me back?_

_No, it's too early to say for sure. But if she didn't, why would she go to the trouble of setting up what is pretty much a date?_

A million and one thoughts were whizzing through Pyrrha's mind, her head going blank out of both worry and anticipation. She tried to take her mind off it by hanging around with the rest of Team JNPR, but she simply couldn't manage to involve herself in any form of conversation.

'Hey Pyrrha, are you OK?' Jaune asked, noticing that she was being unnaturally quiet.

'Hmm? Oh, yeah. I'm fine, you don't need to worry about me.'

Jaune was dense, but even he could see through Pyrrha's obvious lie. Leaving Nora to pester Ren, he pulled her to one side, whispering to her.

'It's OK, whatever it is that's bothering you, you can tell me. I promise I won't tell anyone else.'

Taking a deep breath, she decided to come out with it. She couldn't just keep it bottled inside her, she was far too excited for that. Speaking quietly, she answered him.

'I'm in love with Blake.'

'Blake? You mean from Team RWBY?'

'Yes,' she replied, a small smile crossing her lips. 'I don't even know when it happened, I just realised it the other day. I managed to convince myself I was just interested in her because she reminded me of someone else, but I couldn't get her out of my head. Even now, I still can't stop thinking about her.'

'Sounds like you're really smitten,' he replied. 'You're serious about her then?'

'Yes. I mean, I can't get her out of my mind for a second.'

'Well what are you waiting around here for then? Go get her!'

'We're meeting up later tonight. She told me to meet her at the front entrance at 7 PM,' Pyrrha explained, the giddiness in her voice evident.

'In that case, I'm sure she'll say yes. Why would she go to all that trouble just to turn you down?' Jaune reasoned, knowing that Pyrrha was nervous about their planned meeting.

'I hope so,' Pyrrha said, grinning from ear to ear.

* * *

'Blake,' the familiar voice of Weiss called, 'what have you been using the phone for? This is pretty crazy, you managed to rack up a bill of 20 Lien in the last few hours… what exactly have you been doing?'

'I was just making some arrangements, that's all. I'm heading out later for a while, and figured I'd plan ahead.'

'Are you coming to dinner with us at least?' Weiss asked her, fawning over her looks in the mirror.

'No, I think I'm going to grab some food while I'm out,' Blake replied, having made all the preparations in advance. It was going to be a wonderful night. 'I might be back quite late, so don't wait up for me, OK?'

'If you say so,' the heiress responded, obviously unsure of how to react to Blake's sudden change in mood. She seemed to be planning something big, and that was quite unlike the shy girl Weiss was used to. Whatever it was, she knew it must have been important so she didn't say anything about her concerns to Blake.

* * *

Pyrrha paced around, glancing at the clock every few seconds, praying that the time would magically pass by faster if she kept looking at it. 4:06 PM. It was still nearly three hours until their proposed meeting time, and Pyrrha was struggling to keep her cool as she waited.

_Is this what love feels like? This pounding in my chest, the aching desire to be with her every second of the day… is that love?_

Pyrrha decided to think about that for a while to keep her mind away from the time. Before she knew it, two hours had passed.

_6:12 PM. It's almost time._

She had showered three times in the past hour out of nervousness, and had put her hair up and let it down at least a dozen times, trying to decide which looked better. _Jaune _of all people had been the one to give her the most sound advice: he told her that Blake was particularly fond of classical music, so she had purchased a CD of a famous composer and planned to give it to her on their night out. The time soon came, the clock just turning 6:55. Deciding to head out, she gave herself one quick look in the mirror to make sure she looked OK, opting to keep her hair in its trademark ponytail and wearing a long red and orange dress.

When she got outside, the sight of beauty that stood before her was astonishing. Blake had the most amazing black dress on, adorned with golden silk woven into the hem in incredibly detailed patterns, the colours matching the Faunus perfectly. Pyrrha was lost for words. It was only when Blake spoke to her that she managed to squeeze out words of her own.

'Ready to go?' Blake asked her, a knowing smile on her face as she anxiously awaited the night ahead.

'Y-yes…' Pyrrha said, still stunned by the radiant beauty next to her.

Their walk had an awkward silence to it, Pyrrha not knowing what to say. She had rehearsed what she would talk about countless times, but at the moment of seeing Blake all those thoughts melted away. Luckily, the girl beside her saved her from her predicament.

'The stars really are beautiful tonight, aren't they?'

That one line of conversation erased the tense feeling in the air, Pyrrha loosening up to admire the beauty of the evening sky.

'Yes, it's quite a sight. Forecasters say we might even see aurora borealis tonight. I've heard it's an experience that you'll never forget for the rest of your life.'

Soon after, the two were talking about small things like they were the best of friends, before Blake soon stopped outside a restaurant, holding the door open for Pyrrha.

'What's this?'

'My answer,' Blake replied happily. Pyrrha's heart leapt at her words.

_Her answer? But this is a fancy restaurant, and she sounded quite happy… does this mean… she likes me?_

The two of them entered, Pyrrha still shell-shocked by the news, her mind a blur.

'Hello, yes, I reserved a table for two earlier.'

'Your name, please?'

'Blake Belladonna.'

As the waiter checked the list, he soon gave an approving nod.

'Please follow me.'

The two soon found themselves sat in a private corner of the restaurant, one which even the richest of customers couldn't access.

'How did you manage all this?' Pyrrha asked, her face a mixture of wonder and surprise.

'Let's just say I know the manager here. I asked him to pull a few strings for me, and voila. Here we are.'

The waiter came back through, bringing with him two menus.

'Please choose whatever you like. Your expenses have already been covered Madame Belladonna.'

'Madame Belladonna,' Pyrrha repeated after the waiter had left, pretending to be posh. Blake giggled slightly at the entertaining sight.

_I'm glad I can share my time with you like this, Pyrrha. I wish every day could be like this._

'What are you thinking about getting?' Pyrrha asked, her mind boggled by all the posh foods on the menu.

'I think I'll go for the caviar. It's always been a favourite of mine, plus the chef here does it really nicely. What about you?'

'I think I'll just stick with the soup,' she replied with a laugh. After calling the waiter back over and placing their order, Blake whispered something in the waiter's ear, to which he nodded.

'Yes ma'am, as you request.'

'What was that?' Pyrrha asked, intrigued by her secret conversation.

'A surprise,' Blake replied with a mischievous smile.

_Everything's going so well, _she thought to herself. _I never thought I could enjoy happiness like this... Pyrrha, you really are something else._

When the delicious smell of well-prepared food wafted through to their corner, the waiter placed their food down, followed immediately by something that shocked Pyrrha. Entering after him, two men brought in a wooden board, on it a message written with the flowers that adorned it.

'_Here's my answer, Pyrrha.'_

Pyrrha raised her hands to her lips, almost wanting to cry from happiness. Calling it beautiful would have been an understatement. To Pyrrha, that single gesture made her happier than she thought possible.

'Do you like it? They're hibiscuses. I ordered them specifically because they remind me of you. They're beautiful and graceful flowers, but they also have a fiery colour to them that gives the impression of strength.'

'Like it? I love it! It's… it's beautiful…'

She couldn't believe Blake would go this far for her, but it made her unbelievably happy. The two continued to talk over their food, the atmosphere being that of pure joy from the happiness the night had brought both of them. During their talk, at some point Blake's hand had crept over towards Pyrrha's, their fingers intertwining. The redhead was surprised, but returned the gesture and smiled at the black-haired girl in front of her. After thanking the waiter for his pleasant service, Blake left him a tip and the two girls headed out, their hands never disconnecting from one another all the way back to Beacon.

'We should probably part ways here,' Blake told Pyrrha at the gate, staring into the girls jade eyes. 'It's probably for the best if people don't start talking about us _just _yet,' she joked.

'Yeah,' Pyrrha said, a sad but understanding tone to her voice. She didn't want to leave Blake's side, having thoroughly enjoyed every part of their night. 'Oh, I got this for you,' she said, remembering the CD she had bought.

'You bought me a CD?'

After realising it was by one of her favourite artists, her face lit up.

'I love this one! How did you know?'

Deciding to tell a little white lie, Pyrrha simply responded;

'Just a hunch. Anyway, I'd better head back. It's getting pretty late.'

As she prepared to head back to her dorm room however, Blake cupped Pyrrha's face in her hands, her lips quickly connecting with Pyrrha's. The kiss melted away all of Pyrrha's sadness, the redhead quickly letting herself be lost in the pleasure of the moment. Stroking Pyrrha's cheek with her fingers, Blake said something that made Pyrrha happier than ever.

'You know, I realised something tonight. I love you too, Pyrrha.'

With that, she headed back to her room, shooting loving glances back as she left. The time was 10:12 PM, and the others must have been tired after a long day as they were already asleep, Blake quietly following suit, the events of the night still fresh in her memory.

_Everything went perfectly, _she happily thought. _It feels good to feel needed, _she realised, before putting those thoughts out of her head as she turned over to go to sleep.

* * *

Pyrrha tried to sneak into her bed unnoticed, but as she lay down the familiar voice of a certain blonde dunce whispered to her.

'How did it go?'

'It was… perfect. Tonight is a night I won't forget for the rest of my life.'

'Sounds like you enjoyed it. I take it you and her are a thing now then?'

'Pretty much,' Pyrrha responded, unable to hide her excitement, her exhaustion also showing through.

'I'll let you sleep. Good night,' Jaune told her.

'Night,' she replied, resting her head against the pillow.

_Tonight really is a night that will remain in my head for the rest of my life,_ she happily thought as she drifted to sleep.


	3. Movie Night

The next morning, Pyrrha awoke, the soft sound of birdsong drifting through the window as the others lazily lay sleeping.

_Just another average morning I guess, _she thought to herself. The events of the previous day were still fresh in her mind.

_She told me she loved me. The girl I like confessed to me on the best night of my life…_

Even now, it still felt very surreal to her, like it couldn't possibly be real. How could everything be going so perfectly well for her? Looking at the clock, she had woken even earlier than usual for a weekend, the hand just barely scraping past eight.

_I wonder why I'm up so early… maybe the excitement woke me._

She wasn't very hungry, so she lay back in her bed and started reading through some news articles on her scroll. There were the usual stories about dust robberies and political corruptness floating around, but one story in particular caught her eye.

_Valian restaurant owner arrested after being suspected of drug smuggling._

The restaurant in question was the exact same one that they had visited last night. The police had apparently gotten a warrant and busted in during the early hours of the morning. The very same man who had provided the two girls with one of the most private seats, along with top notch service and exquisite food was being charged for a very serious crime. Needless to say it came as much of a shock to her, but Pyrrha realised from the conversation with the waiter yesterday that Blake was obviously quite close to the manager. If she got word of what had happened…

Pyrrha shook the thought from her head. Deciding that was her goal, she headed out to get something to eat and then distract Blake as soon as possible so she didn't find out about the arrest. She decided to grab a few slices of toast as she wasn't very fond of the milk that came with cereal. After eating, she headed back to her room, Team RWBY's door still undisturbed indicating that nobody was awake yet. She flopped back onto her bed, thinking to herself about what she would say to Blake.

_Maybe I should ask her if she wants to read with me?_

_No, she said she wanted to keep our relationship on the down low for now. It'd only draw attention to the both of us if we suddenly started spending time together with just the two of us it would only make us stand out._

After thinking hard on it for a while she decided to ask both Team RWBY and Team JNPR if they wanted to go see a movie later that night. It would give them something to talk about and would distract Blake from the news. Sending a message out to Ruby, Weiss, Blake and Yang on her scroll, she soon got replies back from everyone but Blake, each one of them agreeing. Anxiously awaiting Blake's reply, she assumed that her black-haired lover must still have been sleeping. While she waited, she decided to go take a walk to get some fresh air.

_It's such a lovely morning, _she thought to herself, the rays of sunshine illuminating the lush green grounds of Beacon Academy. She had always been a fan of the outdoors, and this was definitely one of the reasons why. She loved the smell of the fresh morning air, untainted by the urban atmosphere. It made her feel calm, reminding her of the time she spent growing up with her parents at a rural village in Mistral. Reminding her of the young Faunus girl she spent many of her childhood days playing with. She never learnt that girl's name, but the resemblance she bore to Blake was striking. Whenever Pyrrha thought about it, it brought back those memories of what the girl had always replied with.

_I don't have a name. Mummy says I don't deserve a name, so I wasn't given one._

_That's a sad thing to say. Everyone needs a name. Hmm… how about Black, like your hair?_

_Black…_

The girl's ecstatic smile upon being given a name was forever forged into Pyrrha's heart. It filled her with joy, thinking back on how happy she had made someone, even if it was only for a short while.

_It's a nice name! Call me Black from now on then!_

The next day, Pyrrha had returned to that same spot they always met, only to see a large bruise around her new friend's eye.

_Mummy said my name was silly and told me to forget it, _the girl said dejectedly. _She said an animal like me shouldn't have a name. I'll always remember it though, that's a promise!_

Before she knew it, Pyrrha had done a full circle of Beacon's grounds, completely lost in her past. Shielding her eyes from the sun which was now blazing down upon her, she headed back inside to see if Blake had sent a message back. Several students were beginning to lazily make their way over to the cafeteria, all seemingly groggy and unsociable. Pyrrha never did understand how people could be so lax in the mornings, especially as Hunters and Huntresses. She had always held a firm belief that you had to be ready for anything, anytime and as such had trained her body to the point that she could wake at any time and not feel the effects of fatigue or tiredness. But while she held many of the other students in contempt over their casual attitude to the academy, she respected their skills and trusted them to pull themselves together should anything actually happen.

Arriving back in her room, the rest of her team had woken and were going through their morning routine, Jaune greeting her when she came in.

'Hey Pyrrha. I guess you went to stretch your legs?'

'Something like that,' she replied half-heartedly. The thought of that girl still lingered in her mind, enough to distract her from casual conversation. Quickly checking her scroll once again, Blake had still not sent a reply.

_That's strange, _she thought to herself. _I would have thought Ruby and the others would have woken her by now._

Putting the thought out of her mind for the time being, she decided to ask her own team about their plans.

'Hey, do any of you want to come see a movie with me later? Ruby, Weiss and Yang will be coming too.'

'A movie? Sounds fun!' Nora joyfully squealed. 'Do I get to break anything?'

'No, Nora,' Pyrrha answered with a chuckle. 'You don't get to break anything.'

'I'll go too,' Ren replied, the usual stoic look on his face.

Pyrrha looked at Jaune after hearing Ren's answer.

'What about you?'

'Sorry, I already made plans. It sounds like a blast though, I hope you guys have a good time.'

With that, Jaune headed out, presumably for breakfast judging by the rumbles coming from his stomach.

_Jaune making plans ahead of time? Now that definitely doesn't sound like him._

As Pyrrha tried to figure out what was going on due to the strange happenings as of late, she headed out with Ren and Nora to go get some food.

Grabbing a few slices of toast, she sat down with her teammates again, discussing which movie they were going to see. Ren had heard of two called Dear Diary and What Could Have Been that had come out recently and wanted to watch one of those, but Nora had her mind set on a very different kind of film. An action-horror called The Dark World, apparently it had gotten extremely good reviews and was being critiqued as a masterpiece of its genre. There was a lot of hype surrounding it because of the fact that the author of the book it was adapted from was well known for writing excellent pieces of literature, some of which Pyrrha knew Blake was a fan of. Ren knew there was no point arguing with her, so gave in and agreed to her suggestion, Pyrrha not being particularly bothered which one they saw as long as Blake was there.

Shortly after, Pyrrha received a message on her scroll. It was from Blake.

_Sorry, I can't make it. I've made plans with a friend ahead of time._

Pyrrha had a bad feeling that she already knew who the friend in question was, and realised she had to do something or else all her efforts would have been for nought. Excusing herself from breakfast, she headed back to their dorm room early to think up a plan.

_There's only one thing I can do, _she thought. _I'll go meet up with the waiter from the restaurant and ask him about Blake's friend. If it really is the manager, he'll be able to contact Blake and postpone the date by at least a few days. If all goes well, he'll be proven innocent soon enough and Blake will never know about this whole situation._

She decided to wait a few hours before putting her plan into motion. As risky a move as it was, if she asked Blake to come see a movie with her and then all of a sudden Blake's schedule frees up it would only further her suspicion.

_11:30 AM. Time to go._

Heading out, she made sure she wasn't seen as she slipped out the front entrance to Beacon. It was still the weekend so most students would probably be lounging around or meeting friends. Pyrrha thanked her lucky stars for giving her the opportunity to carry out her plan swiftly and easily. She soon came across the restaurant they had eaten at the previous night, finding the waiter smoking outside. It seemed as though he had been cleared of suspicion as the police weren't swarming him, but he also seemed quite depressed, most likely due to the fact he had just been put out of a job thanks to the story.

'Hello,' Pyrrha introduced, the waiter tilting his head to look at her before facing forward again, taking a puff of the cigarette.

'What brings you here? The restaurant is closed for the time being. I'm sure you understand.'

'Actually, I didn't come here for food. I came to ask you a few things.'

'No, I'm not involved with his drug dealings. If that is all, please leave.'

'I wasn't going to ask about that.'

The waiter seemed to perk up at the mention of a question that wasn't, 'did you have anything to do with the crime.'

'Go on,' he said, intrigued by her statement.

'Was your boss planning to meet up with Blake today?' Pyrrha asked, the waiters eyebrows rising at her words.

'How did you find that out?' he asked, sceptical of how she had come across this information.

'That's not important. I need you to send a message to Blake for me. She doesn't know about the situation with the manager, and I want to keep it that way. All I need you to do is send her a message saying that their meeting was postponed for a while. Even if just for a few days, I want to keep her out of the loop on this one. It might even be enough time for me to prove your boss innocent and get your job back.'

He seemed to garner interest at the mention of his job, replying quickly.

'Very well. But he's guilty, no doubt about it. She's going to find out at some point.'

Realising that she would not take no for an answer, he sighed before continuing.

'At best I can delay the meeting for five more days. Is that OK?'

'That's plenty,' Pyrrha gratefully responded, happy that she could get that much time. 'And thank you,' she finished, the waiter nodding his head in response.

'The name's Cobalt, by the way,' the waiter called after her.

Heading back to Beacon, proud of a job well done, she beamed as she thought of how well her plan was falling into place.

_Maybe I can prove his innocence in those five days. Blake will never have to know about this whole thing._

Shortly after returning to her team, she received a message from a certain Blake Belladonna.

_Seems like something came up with my friend, so I can make it to the movie tonight after all. I'm looking forward to it._

After arranging the movie and time, she sent the details out to everyone else that was attending.

_If there's anyone up there watching over me, thank you for giving me this chance._

* * *

Later that evening, the group left the cinema, slightly depressed and with a bittersweet tone hanging around the group.

Ruby was the first one to start a discussion about the movie.

'So, what did everyone think?'

'I liked how it made you think about the Grimm,' Weiss answered. 'It really makes you wonder, are they intelligent? Is there a reason to their killing? And if so, are we the real monsters for just assuming they are all malevolent and evil creatures?'

'I liked the parts where they fought the X-Classes,' Nora chirpily added, seeming please with her choice of movie. The group continued to talk like that for a while as they walked, before Pyrrha realised a fatal flaw of her plan.

'Hey, what's happening over there?' Blake asked, pointing over to a place across the street quite far down the road. In the front of the building, it looked like…

Police cars.

Pyrrha immediately realised that her carefully executed plan had a major fault – the cinema was but a few blocks away from the restaurant that she and Blake had visited. Without even realising it, she had literally guided Blake to the last place she wanted her to see.

'You don't know?' Yang answered, surprised that Blake wouldn't have heard the news. 'Apparently the manager was caught selling illegal drugs, and the police came in with a warrant and found a huge stash in the back.'

Blake shot Pyrrha a piercing glare. She had put two and two together, the bizarre delay of her meeting and Pyrrha's morning absence. It didn't take a genius to figure out what Pyrrha had been up to, and the look on Blake's face was proof of that. She didn't say a word on the trip back to Beacon, the rest of Team RWBY and JNPR heading to their rooms to finish the night in there, only Pyrrha and Blake staying behind in the main entrance. There was a cruel silence developing between the two, one which grew stronger with each passing second until Pyrrha broke it.

'Look, I-'

'You tried to trick me, Pyrrha.'

Pyrrha could do nothing but shamefully stare at the ground, fighting back tears.

'You tried to hide this from me. What, did you think I wouldn't find out? Did you think I'd just magically forget all about him after just a few days? I thought something was strange when Cobalt messaged me, but I'd never have thought _you _of all people would set him up like that.'

'I wasn't trying to hurt you! I… I just didn't want you to find out about what he was accused of. I know from the night we spent together that that man was a good friend of yours! I thought if I could buy some time, I could prove him innocent and you wouldn't have to go through this!'

Blake was clearly angry, but she couldn't scold Pyrrha for her actions. She knew that the redhead had acted out of consideration for her feelings, and a part of her liked that.

'Just please don't try to hide things from me again, OK?'

Blake's voice almost sounded sorrowful, and she leaned into Pyrrha to give her a hug.

'I know you only did what you did because you care. I'm sorry for being so harsh with you, I just don't like it when people try to hide things from me like that. And… thank you for being so thoughtful. It was sweet of you to want to keep my spirits up.'

Locking eyes with Pyrrha, she gave her a longing kiss before departing, waving cutely as she left. Pyrrha soon headed to her room as well, glad that everything had worked out for the best despite her intentions backfiring.

_You've got to stop being so kind, Blake. You'll make me fall even more in love with you than I already am._

With that thought in her head, she drifted to sleep, a smile still on her face after the kiss Blake had left her with.


	4. Drinks and Revelations

The girl stood there on the corner of the street, exactly the same as she did every day. She didn't want her mother to hate her after all, so she did as she was told. She waited and waited, several kind-hearted souls giving her what little change they had. It was a rather poor area, but that just made the local people band together even more. And then she saw her. Her eyes lit up at the sight of her flame-haired friend turning the corner, both of them giddy to see each other again.

'Hello!'

That was what the redhead had said to her with such a cheerful smile.

'My name's Pyrrha! You look lonely… are you alright?'

She simply replied with a nod, just like her mother taught her.

'I'm OK. It's nice to meet you, Pyrrha.'

_I mustn't get too close to her,_ the girl thought to herself. _Mummy wouldn't be very happy if she found out._

Trying to remain as distant as possible, she gave vague answers to each of Pyrrha's questions, hoping she would soon leave. But Pyrrha was persistent, and stayed with her for hours, talking about nothing in particular. As much as she feared it, the girl enjoyed the company more than the rare praise her mother gave her. Every day, day after day Pyrrha returned with news of what she had been doing, and she would occasionally bring some snacks for the girl. Eventually, she asked for her name. After hearing she didn't have one, Pyrrha suggested one to the girl.

_Black…_

She loved it. She felt like she had been reborn as a new person, free from the shackles that she was cursed to wear. Since that day, that memory had been engraved into her heart. The girl had not betrayed her promise to remember it, and she had also begrudgingly listened to her mother. Her mother beat her until she swore never to call herself Black again, leaving a swollen black eye on her otherwise beautiful face. The next day it rained down so hard she thought she would drown in it, not even being given an umbrella as punishment for her insolence.

The name she had chosen for herself was not Black, but a slight modification. Therefore she was listening to both her mother and her friend, so to her it was perfect.

The girl decided her name would be Blake.

Blake saw Pyrrha again the next day, the redhead questioning her over her black eye. After explaining, Pyrrha was visibly distressed. She truly believed she had caused her friend to suffer, despite the fact that Blake was happier than ever.

* * *

Blake's eyes burst open, her face breaking out into a cold sweat as she panted heavily.

_Why…? Why did I have that dream?_

To this day, she had never forgotten her childhood friend. After that rainy day, she never saw Pyrrha again. She knew there had to be a very good reason for it, but she felt as though a part of her had died. She felt empty, and even at that tender young age she knew she was in love. She watched her love blossom and disappear, both of them happening so suddenly. Getting up to get a drink, she soon felt a nauseous feeling in her stomach and rushed over to the bathroom, barely making it to the toilet before throwing up.

_God damn it, my stomach's acting up again. _

After her ordeal was over, she washed her mouth out with water, taking some medicine for her sickness and going for a walk outside. The fresh air would do her good, she thought. However, outside she saw a familiar face sitting on the grass in the distance. It was Pyrrha. She seemed to be thinking hard on something alone, so Blake went over to speak with her.

'Hey.'

Caught off guard, Pyrrha looked at her with a surprised expression.

'Hi,' she replied, a heavy expression on her face.

'What's wrong? You seem… down.'

'I'm just… thinking,' Pyrrha replied, her voice distant. 'Thinking about the future.'

A lump formed in Blake's throat at the mention of the future.

'What about it?' she nervously asked, unsure where Pyrrha was taking this.

'I was just thinking about life after Beacon. I mean, we all talk about becoming Hunters and Huntresses, but the reality is many people die in this job. Some never see their friends from their respective Hunter academies again,' she said wistfully. 'I just don't want to be one of those people. Around other people I put up this strong image, but when I'm alone and when I'm with you I can't hide it. I'm scared, Blake. I'm scared of leaving all this behind. Scared of losing everyone close to me.'

Blake knew what she meant. She had experienced firsthand the kind of pain Pyrrha was speaking of during her childhood, and it was a powerful suffering that almost crushed her. Had she not held the belief that the two would meet again Blake would have likely let herself slip away into death, as the other belief she could have chosen to follow was one of abandonment. Pyrrha quite literally saved her life with her optimism, though she didn't know it.

'There was a girl once,' Pyrrha continued, 'back when I was eight years old, I met a girl. She just stood on the corner of the street every day. She said she had a mother, but if you asked me I would have thought her to be homeless. I grew close to her during the time I spent with her, and we became friends. Then one day my parents moved from Vacuo to Mistral all of a sudden. I screamed and shouted, begging them to let me stay, all for that girl. In the end, I had to go with my parents. I wasn't even allowed to say goodbye. It hurt so, so much to leave her like that. I was scared that she would hate me or even kill herself, because I'm pretty sure she didn't have anyone else she could confide in. No, I'm certain she hates me for leaving her. She doesn't know my side of the story. All she knows is that the girl she was friends with suddenly left her behind, with no warning at all.

_You big dummy, _Blake thought, fighting back tears. _I could never hate you. I loved you more than anything. I still do._

'I loved her,' Pyrrha finished, turning to face Blake as she spoke, a pained look in her eyes. 'You remind me so much of her. I could have sworn you really were the girl from my childhood. The name, the eyes, the cat ears… everything would fit. But… you aren't her, right?'

Blake's heart felt like it would wrench in two. She wanted to tell Pyrrha the truth, she really did.

But she couldn't.

'No, it's a different girl,' Blake replied stoically, Pyrrha giving her a small yet forced smile.

'Look,' Pyrrha began again, 'Blake, I've been thinking… maybe… maybe we shouldn't be together. I'm just using you as a stand-in for that girl I met all those years ago. Yes, I really did fall in love with you, but that was because I started growing interested in you after you reminded me of her. It all goes back to her. Maybe we should end it here, before it begins to hurt too much,' Pyrrha said solemnly.

_Oh no you don't, _Blake thought. _I'm not letting you go that easily. Even if I can't tell you the truth about who I am, I'm not letting go of you so soon._

'Don't be stupid,' Blake reprimanded, giving Pyrrha a harsh look. The redhead looked utterly helpless, and for the first time in her life, Pyrrha felt weak.

'Help me, Blake. I don't know what's going on with me. I've got all these emotions flying around in my head, and none of it makes sense. I love you, but I love the girl from my memories. I'm angry at myself, but I feel happy for some reason. I don't understand, Blake. I don't understand at all…'

Blake gave her a knowing smile.

'That's love, Pyrrha. Not knowing why or how you're feeling all those strange emotions, having them all conflicting yet co-existing at the same time. That's what love is. Stay with me, Pyrrha. In fact, that's an order. You're going to stay with me for a while,' Blake said, smiling lovingly, pulling the redheads head into her chest, planting a small kiss atop her head.

'I love you, and you love me. That's just how it is, no matter which way you want to look at it.'

The two stayed in that embrace for a while, Pyrrha feeling a numbing happiness from being in the comfort of Blake's arms.

'Let's go out later on for some drinks, okay?' Blake offered, Pyrrha looking up at her with a confused expression.

'But it's a Sunday,' Pyrrha replied, bemused by her strange suggestion.

'Who cares? There'll be places open still, let's go and enjoy ourselves a little. Let's let ourselves go for once, and just forget about all the painful stuff, okay?'

Pyrrha silently nodded, the thought of having some relief from her stress calming her considerably, especially when she got to spend that time with her lover.

The two headed back inside, not letting go of each other's hands. In their current state, they couldn't care less who saw them. They just wanted to be close to one another. Nora and Jaune both already knew about the couple, Nora seeming to have told Ren about it at some point, though nobody else knew. When they announced to them that they were officially dating, the ginger practically bounced off the walls in excitement, happy for the two of them. Team JNPR was very laid back, so Pyrrha wasn't worried about their reaction, but Team RWBY however had one person she feared would be quite apprehensive about their relationship.

* * *

'You're _what?_' Weiss blurted out, unsure if her ears were playing tricks on her, Ruby deciding to join in the conversation.

'They said they're… dating…'

It seemed it had finally dawned on Ruby what was going on, the look on her face almost comical.

'Wait… Blake, you're into girls?'

Blake wanted to slap her hand against her forehead. All the questions she could have for the two of them, and _that _had been the one Ruby considered the most important one? Blake stifled a giggle at the typical attitude of her leader, Ruby's jaw dropping at the earth shattering revelation. Yang seemed strangely accepting about it, Pyrrha asking the reason why.

'Oh, I saw you guys kissing when you were at the front entrance the other night. From where I was stood I thought you were gonna get busy right there!'

'Yang!' Blake said, blushing furiously at the blonde's preposterous suggestion, before timidly looking to her lover, Pyrrha's face turning the same shade of crimson as her hair.

'So, when's the wedding?' Yang teased, a cheeky grin on her face. Blake merely sighed at her taunt, deciding to ignore her completely, the brawler pouting as cutely as she could in protest. Weiss was still struggling to comprehend the information she had been given, the two lovebirds announcing their exit before heading out. Yang poked her head out the door after them, calling down the hallway.

'I've got batteries; if you want to use them just ask!'

Blake shot her a warning glare, daring her to say another word to which the Huntress said no more.

'That was… a lot easier than I was expecting,' Pyrrha whispered to Blake. The two of them had headed to the library, preferring the quiet and the rustic atmosphere of the books adorning the walls to the bustling academy grounds. Several students entered the library for the sole purpose of relaxing, and it made the place seem like the only truly peaceful place in the entire building at times. They passed a good few hours there, both reading the same book and occasionally making comments about it to the other. Pyrrha read much faster than Blake though, so the Faunus girl occasionally pouted when Pyrrha accidentally spoiled part of the book for her. Even the ending was not safe for the poor girl, the romance they were reading ending in tragedy which Pyrrha ever so kindly revealed whilst Blake was only three quarters through. One of the lovers in the story had a terminal illness, and as such their love was doomed to fail from the start. Blake defiantly ignored Pyrrha for the next few hours, the redhead finding her resistance rather cute and endearing.

* * *

Eventually, evening came and the two got dressed up to go out on the town for some drinks. Pyrrha led them to a bar which she occasionally visited when she had a meeting with some talent scouts, the drink helping calm the mood and lighten both parties up. The two sat at the bar, Pyrrha ordering a martini while Blake sifted through the list of drinks, eventually settling for a piña colada. Taking a sip of it, she found she rather enjoyed the taste, the flavours blending perfectly for her.

'I can never drink those,' Pyrrha said, nodding towards Blake's drink. 'The white rum gets me every time. I like the martini for its simplicity. It's not an extravagant drink by any means, but it's straight and to the point.'

They sat like that for a while, drinking and enjoying their chat together when Blake excused herself to go to the bathroom. After making sure nobody was around, she grabbed her stomach and dropped to her knees, the intense pain in her stomach making her want to scream. She dug her nails into her arm to try and prevent that from happening at all costs. She knew that it would subside eventually as it always did; it was just a matter of when. Sometimes it lasted a minute. Other times, it could last for up to three hours. After around five minutes, Pyrrha began to grow worried. She was convinced that Blake had been gone far too long, and headed to the bathroom after her to make sure she was OK. Pushing open the door, she couldn't hear anything.

'Blake, are you in here? Are you OK?'

She poked her head around the door, but saw no sign of the girl in the room. Noticing one of the cubicles was locked, she opened the door to find Blake unconscious on the floor.

'BLAKE!'

Immediately rushing to her aid, she checked her pulse.

Good, she's still got a pulse and she's still breathing, albeit weakly.

Carrying her out of the bathroom, she shouted out for help.

'Someone call an ambulance! Please! My friend, she's passed out and she's barely breathing!'

Clearing a space for Blake, she laid her down on one of the tables whilst a barmaid called the ambulance. After making sure nothing was blocking her airways, she held Blake's hand until the paramedics arrived, the two carrying her into the ambulance on a stretcher.

'Can I come with you? She's my friend, I found her like that in the bathroom.'

'Of course you can,' one of the men replied. 'It's probably for the best that you stay with her anyway. She'll be happy to see you when she wakes up,' he said with a smile.

During the entire ride to the hospital, they applied various pieces of medical equipment and Blake's condition stabilized slightly, her breathing growing more pronounced on the journey. When they arrived at the hospital itself she was quickly wheeled into an emergency room, Pyrrha fretting with worry, panicking more with every second. She tried to think of what could have possibly caused her to suddenly collapse like that, but despite all her thoughts she couldn't think of anything. It wasn't as though Blake had drunk much, and she knew the bartender well enough to know that they were trustworthy. Nobody had tampered with her drink, either. It didn't make any sense to her. A few minutes later, one of the doctors came out, a casual smile on his face.

'Is she alright? What happened to her?'

'It's nothing to worry about. I know it seems serious, but she's been having these episodes for a while now. She just needs a little bit of rest and she'll be fine. In the meantime, you can go in to see her if you like. She's awake, but she's a little fatigued so she won't be able to leave tonight I'm afraid.'

'Thank you,' Pyrrha replied, breathing a sigh of relief, heading into the room.

Blake turned her head slightly upon hearing the door.

'Hey, Blake. How are you feeling?'

'I'm sorry,' she replied, tears forming in her eyes.

'What are you talking about? You have nothing to be sorry about,' Pyrrha comforted, her words doing nothing to soothe Blake's mental state.

'I should have told you… I got angry at you for hiding that information about my friend the other day, yet here I am hiding my condition from you…'

'Blake, a medical condition and your friend's accusation are two completely different things. You weren't obligated to tell me about it, and I don't mind that you didn't. I'm just glad you're OK.'

Walking over to give her a hug, she wiped away Blake's tears, the girl smiling back at her.

'Thank you… I promise I won't keep stuff like this from you anymore, OK?'

'Alright,' Pyrrha replied, letting out a slight giggle. 'Just get better soon, alright?'

'Will do.'

'I'd better get going. I'll come back to visit tomorrow, and I'll explain what's going on to everyone else. And… I love you.'

Blake's heart melted with those last words, a joyful smile crossing her lips.

'I love you too. I'll see you tomorrow.'

Heading out, she left Blake to get some rest. When she returned to Beacon, she explained the situation to Team RWBY and Team JNPR, and a small part of her still worried over Blake's condition. She still wasn't convinced that it was just something that happened to her every now and then. There must have been some reason for it. Putting it out of her mind for the time being though, she drifted to sleep, thoughts of tomorrow and Blake's release putting a smile on her face.


	5. Hospitals and Hotels

Pyrrha woke the next morning to a wet pillowcase. Rubbing her eyes, she found they were slightly damp.

She had been crying in her sleep.

Her mind wandered to thoughts of Blake, the worry of her lover being in the hospital dominating her mind. The fact that she still didn't know what caused those episodes didn't help calm her at all either, instead fuelling her emotions.

_I know she said there wouldn't be any more secrets between us, but I can't help but think that she's still hiding something from me… something she really doesn't want me to find out. Her doctor seemed to withhold on the details of her condition, too. I wonder if it's really all they say it is…_

Shaking those thoughts away, she looked at the clock. 6:17 AM. In another 13 minutes, the usual wailing of the alarm would begin, alerting everyone that it was time for classes to begin. Pyrrha got dressed ahead of time, heading out before the wake-up call. She wasn't in the mood for a shower this morning, and she didn't really think it would make much of a difference anyway. She was hardly an unhygienic girl, so one day shouldn't affect her too much. Later on, she begrudgingly sat through classes, her mind very obviously occupying other thoughts. All the information they were being given was going straight over her head, her concentration lacking since the events of the previous night. Her mind would not stop replaying that scene in the bathroom. Over and over again she remembered it. Ten times. A hundred times. A thousand times. She only came back to her senses when Glynda spoke out to her.

'Miss Nikos?'

Snapping out of her trance, she replied.

'Y-yes? What is it?'

'Class ended ten minutes ago. Is something bothering you?'

'No,' Pyrrha lied, not wanting to admit what was controlling her mind. 'I was just thinking something over in my head.'

'I see,' Glynda said, sceptical about her answer. However, she wasn't going to pry into Pyrrha's head, and instead offered her a solution which pleased her greatly.

'I can see that it's bothering you a lot, and while I don't usually do this, I'm going to give you a choice.'

Pyrrha took interest in the choice that Glynda had presented, her eyes widening at the mention of it.

'If you like, you can take the rest of the day off. I'll inform the other teachers that you aren't feeling well, and you can have today to sort out whatever the matter is.'

'Thank you,' Pyrrha responded, grateful for her teacher's kindness. 'I think I'll do that.'

With that, Pyrrha headed out, having the rest of the day to herself. However, she knew exactly how she was going to spend it, and without missing a beat she headed out the front entrance towards the hospital.

_I hope you're feeling better today Blake. I want to see those beautiful golden eyes of yours smiling in happiness, _she thought to herself.

'Young love truly is a fickle thing, isn't it Glynda?'

'Ozpin, you really shouldn't eavesdrop on a lady's conversation,' she replied harshly. 'And besides, how do you know its love?'

'Come now Glynda, don't tell me you haven't noticed? She's been acting differently for a while now, even if only slightly. Blake has been the same, and now that Blake's been hospitalized Pyrrha suddenly grows melancholy? I can hardly see that as mere coincidence, can you Glynda?'

'But they might just be very close friends!' she protested, wishing desperately to prove him wrong just once.

'Very close friends who kiss under the stars? That would seem to implicate they have more than just a friendship,' Ozpin stated.

'You spied on them?'

'Hardly. They didn't exactly hide it. In fact, it was as though they wanted people to know, but just didn't have the courage to tell people themselves. Love does strange things to people like that.'

She opened her mouth to say something, but had no comeback to his reasoning.

'Still, it's rude to speculate about their relationship like that. You should just let them be. They're young, so of course they'll be interested in love, but that doesn't mean you need to get involved.'

'Yes, I am aware. I'm just interested in seeing where it goes, that's all.'

* * *

'How are you feeling today?'

Pyrrha handed Blake the flowers she had bought on the way, giving a heart-warming smile that practically glowed with happiness, the redhead glad to see that Blake was awake and well. Blake thanked her with a smile, letting out a cute yawn that told Pyrrha she had not been awake for long.

'You're really adorable when you aren't being so serious,' Pyrrha teased, Blake pouting at her comment.

'I am not. And I'm not serious! I'm just… dedicated, that's all.'

'Oh come on, you're always so lost in your books sometimes I could swear you actually become a part of one of them!'

'Pyrrha, are you insinuating that we are characters in some kind of story? It's not like we're part of some fan fiction that ships us together or something. That would be ridiculous.'

'Hey, maybe we really are just characters in a story. Who knows?'

'Alright then, if we're just characters then let's stare at the reader to make them feel uncomfortable. I'm not sure how I feel about having my every movement and thought watched at all times.'

The two of them slowly turned their heads, staring directly into your eyes in total silence for around ten seconds.

'Do you think they're getting uncomfortable yet?' Blake whispered to Pyrrha, never once taking her eyes off you.

'I don't know, but my necks starting to hurt from keeping my head like this,' Pyrrha responded.

Pyrrha and Blake both continued to stare intensely at you for ten more seconds before getting bored that nothing is happening and carrying on with their previous conversation.

'Any idea what time you'll be let out?' Pyrrha asked, returning to her worried persona from the day before.

'The doctor said I should be out by 6PM at the latest, so with some luck I might be good to go in a few minutes. I feel fine, at least.'

'That's good,' Pyrrha said, breathing a sigh of relief. She had fretted over Blake's condition ever since she collapsed, and even when the doctors had told her Blake would be fine she couldn't help but worry. She knew a lot of medical practices often made the conditions sound a lot better than they actually were to not cause widespread panic among the visitors, so she had her doubts about their credibility. Sure enough, around fifteen minutes later the doctor returned to inform the two of them that Blake was well enough to leave.

'She's passed all her major tests, but we'll still need her to come in for check-ups once a week. We need to make sure she doesn't have another episode like this again. It seems she's been neglecting her prescriptions, and I'm sorry to impose on you like this, but could you make sure she turns up? We can't exactly go out of our way to chase people down. We're usually quite a busy hospital, it seems like you caught us on a slow day.'

'No problem,' Pyrrha replied, glaring at Blake after the doctor's comment. 'She'll turn up every week; I'll make sure of that.'

* * *

After leaving the hospital, there was a thick tension between the two girls.

'Why weren't you taking your medication?'

Blake didn't respond. Instead, she began to walk faster, Pyrrha grabbing her arm out of anger.

'BLAKE!'

Blake's face twitched from a mixture of surprise and fear at her lover's exclamation.

'I… I'm sorry. I didn't mean to shout at you. I just want to know… why, Blake? You aren't given that medicine to ignore it! And the fact you need it means that this is a risk to your health! Blake, I don't know how bad your condition is, and I'm not going to pretend to know, but for all I knew you might never have recovered from that collapse! Do you realise how fucking worried and scared I was? I was terrified I might lose you after I only just found out for myself how much I loved you!'

She began to choke back tears with her words, the emotional stress she had built up over the last day pouring out as she spoke.

'I know… I know I'm being a selfish bitch right now, only thinking about my own feelings, but I was scared, Blake! I don't want to lose you… I love you, and I want to keep on loving you for the rest of our lives. I don't want that time to be limited to a year or a few years just because you were too stubborn to take the medication you're given! I just-'

She was interrupted by Blake's sudden gesture, the Faunus throwing her arms around Pyrrha's shoulders and pulling her head close.

'I'm sorry. I should have told you about my condition, and I should have taken my meds. I just didn't want you to worry about me,' she answered. Those were her words, but she knew that wasn't the truth. She just couldn't bear to hear Pyrrha tell her how much she loved her anymore. Every time she said it was like a knife to her heart, always reminding her of what she had been told so long ago. It was something she carefully stepped around with every sentence. If she gave Pyrrha any kind of hints who knows what the redhead would do or say. Blake knew she was just as selfish as Pyrrha was for hiding it, if not more. She couldn't bring herself to be truthful with the girl out of fear of Pyrrha's reaction. The two of them carried their sorrows with them on their walk back, Blake never letting Pyrrha's hand go as a sort of small consolation for the emotional turmoil she was putting her girlfriend through. When they were almost at Beacon, however, Blake put forward a surprising suggestion.

'Hey, Pyrrha. Let's… let's not go back to Beacon tonight.'

'What do you mean?'

The redhead was obviously confused, before it began to dawn on her. If they weren't going to Beacon, the only other place to go was a hotel. Her heart instinctively began beating in her chest.

_Are we going to… surely not? No… Blake isn't that kind of girl… but we are dating… but she's always so serious… she couldn't be!_

Asking as though to confirm her suspicions, Pyrrha spoke up.

'Where should be go then?'

'How about we head over to the Cupid Ranch?'

_The Cupid Ranch? But they offer special services for couples who want to do… certain… activities…_

That sealed the deal. Pyrrha was 100% what Blake wanted tonight. She was more than happy to comply, it just came as a bit of a shock to her was all. She didn't think that would be Blake's sort of thing. The two soon arrived, and Blake had booked a room in advance for the two of them. This meant that Pyrrha had no idea what was in store for her, and when she saw just what their room looked like her jaw nearly hit the floor.

It was completely normal. What an anticlimax. She felt like she had been building up to the epic conclusion to one of the chapters of her book, only to have it end in a semi-boring way. And as much as she was relieved, Pyrrha felt a little disappointed that they probably wouldn't be doing anything naughty that night.

_Am I really that backed up? I thought that my urges would be under control…_

Pyrrha internally blamed it on Blake's cat pheromones sending her into heat, before berating herself for her slightly racist thought. As she climbed into bed, she undid her hair, letting it loosely flop beside her as her head hit the pillow with a quiet thud. Taking a deep breath, she looked over to her partner, only to find she wasn't lying next to her. The cat Faunus had somehow made her way atop Pyrrha without the redhead noticing, the mischievous glint in her beautiful golden eyes telling Pyrrha everything she needed to know about what was about to happen to her.

'Uhh… Blake… what are you doing?' Pyrrha said with a nervous giggle, wondering if she could defuse the situation.

'Hey Pyrrha,' Blake replied with a purr, 'did you know that right now it's mating season? It drives my hormones crazy when I don't have anything to satisfy my urges, but luckily I have you to deal with that for me. What do you say? Can you deal with this every few weeks or so for me?'

'But I haven't even had a shower today!'

'I know,' Blake replied giddily, her face completely red as she gently licked Pyrrha's neck, eliciting a soft moan from the redhead. Leaning up to whisper in her ear, Blake drove the girl crazy with her words. 'You smell amazing… it makes me want to just eat you up right now…'

'I'm going to assume that's a metaphor,' Pyrrha said, her face flushed and her voice trembling slightly at her partners advances.

'Nope,' Blake replied in a teasing voice. 'I'm going to eat you all night long, and there's nothing. You. Can. Do. About. It.'

For some reason, the way Blake spaced out her words only made them seem more erotic, before the Faunus finally began to crawl along the bed down to Pyrrha's precious area.

Needless to say, neither of them got any sleep that night.


	6. A Secret Revealed

'Wow…'

That was all Pyrrha could muster through her panting, the room filled with the scent of passion.

'You know,' she began again, turning to her partner who was happily curled up next to her, 'I never expected you to have a side to you like that. I mean… I enjoyed it, it's just a little… unexpected. You're always so quiet and adorable at Beacon.'

At the mention of the word adorable Blake began to blush heavily, the lust that clouded her thoughts gone after their all-nighter.

'Well, I _am _a cat Faunus. I go into heat every so often, and I have to hide that away at Beacon. Usually I just go to the bathroom during breaks and-'

Her eyes widened, Blake barely managing to stop herself from admitting her private activities before she realised what she was saying.

'What was that?' Pyrrha teased, catching onto Blake's almost confession. 'I'm shocked, Blake. For such a quiet girl to have such a naughty side…'

Blake's face was a picture of pure scarlet at Pyrrha's teasing, the girl barely managing to squeak out a response as she pouted.

'I can't help it… it annoys me too!'

Her protest was silenced by Pyrrha's lips meeting hers, Blake immediately forgetting about her previous embarrassment.

The two remained like that for at least thirty seconds, Pyrrha cupping Blake's face as her tongue explored her partners mouth. When the kiss broke off, Blake's adorable eyes almost seemed to beg her to continue, Pyrrha squealing as she hugged the girl tightly.

'You are so cute!'

Blake simply returned the hug, unsure how to respond to this display of affection. Looking at the clock, the time was already 10:23 AM.

'Oh no, Glynda's gonna kill us when we get back to Beacon.'

Her face quickly contorted to an expression of shock when Pyrrha put forward a mind-blowing suggestion.

'We could… always just skip today?'

Was the always perfect, punctual Pyrrha actually suggesting they just skip a day? Blake couldn't believe her ears. At first she thought she was just going crazy, and Pyrrha would actually have turned out to be saying that they should go, the sleep deprivation messing with her head. But no, Pyrrha's hopeful eyes confirmed what Blake thought she had heard, although it was still an incredible statement coming from someone who valued rules so much.

'Are you sure about this?' Blake replied, still apprehensive about bunking off.

'Absolutely. I mean… it's just one day, right? Besides, I want to spend more time with you.'

Blake shyly smiled at the comment, before her yawn made her realise just how tired she was.

'Yeah, but let's get some sleep first, OK?'

The two of them snuggled up next to each other, Pyrrha throwing her arms around Blake's waist, holding her partner close as the two slept.

That afternoon, Blake had a very different dream than usual. One that was not of her childhood, nor of her fear, but one of her future.

* * *

'This a wonderful place, isn't it Blake?'

The redhead looked stunning as always, wearing a beautiful crimson dress that was made from the finest silk, embedded with brilliant sapphires that sparkled in the dim sunlight of the evening. The tide washed out to sea as they stood on the Atlesian pier, the two girls taking in the fresh coastal air.

'Hard to believe it's been 5 years since we graduated Beacon already, isn't it?' Pyrrha asked, sighing as she looked over at her partner, clasping her hands around Blake's.

'Yeah… being a Huntress is so much different than I expected,' Blake responded wistfully. 'I thought it would all be fighting Grimm, but the only thing I've done really is basically police work.'

'Me too,' Pyrrha replied, smiling at Blake as she spoke. 'But I'm happy. It means I can spend more time with you, and it's not as though we don't get paid well,' Pyrrha pointed out.

'I know, and I'm happy too. It's just not how I imagined it being, you know? Especially after that training Ozpin put s through. Sometimes I could swear he just did it to torture us,' she joked, a smile crossing her lips.

'You know he meant well,' Blake said, her ribbon billowing in the wind. 'Besides, he set us up so many times at Beacon. He definitely knew what was going on between us before anyone else.'

'Yeah.'

A short pause filled the air as they listened to the excited chattering of the passers-by, before Blake resumed talking.

'Hey… Pyrrha, we need to talk.'

Pyrrha seemed worried about Blake's strange statement. It was the first time she had said anything like that to her before, and she knew those words never amounted to anything good. Responding cautiously, her furrowed brow showed Blake that Pyrrha was nervous about what she had said.

'What is it?'

'I think… I think we should break up.'

Pyrrha stood shell-shocked. She didn't know what to say in response, instead just standing with her mouth gaping.

'…What?'

'This isn't going to work, Pyrrha.'

'W-what are you saying?! We've been so happy up until now! Blake… what's going on? There's something you aren't telling me, isn't there?'

Pyrrha had hit the nail on the head. There was indeed something Blake had hidden from her all this time, something that she herself didn't want to accept.

'It just… isn't going to work. I can't say why, but this relationship needs to end here.'

'…No. I'm sorry Blake, but I'm not just going to let you go like that. Not after all this.'

'Yes, Pyrrha. You are.'

With that, Blake turned to walk away, tears forming in her eyes. She didn't want to do this, but she had to. It was for the best. Pyrrha soon began to follow her, but Blake unsheathed Gambol Shroud and pointed it.

Not towards Pyrrha.

She pointed her gun at her own head.

'Pyrrha, stay right there,' Blake demanded, her tone now fierce and firm. 'I know you won't care if I point the gun at you, so I'm giving you a choice. If you take a single step, I'll shoot myself.'

'Blake… why…?'

Pyrrha too was struggling to hold back tears. The girl she had loved for years had all of a sudden become hostile and pushed her away, seemingly out of nowhere.

'I don't hate you, Pyrrha. I'm doing this _because _I love you.'

'How? How is this because you love me?! Tell me, Blake!'

'I wish I could,' she solemnly replied. 'But if I told you why, it would be pointless to break up with you. You'll understand in a few years, Pyrrha. That, I can promise.'

Walking away, she left Pyrrha alone, stood in shock. Blake left Vale, and never saw Pyrrha again.

That was where her dream, or rather – her nightmare ended. Blake woke up, heavily breathing and sweating. Her whole body trembled from fear, and looking to her left she saw her redhead lover still sleeping soundly next to her, Pyrrha's dishevelled hair making her look quite cute. Blake smiled, before her dream came back to her mind.

_That dream was right, however much I hate it._

_One day I'm going to have to give her up._

_I should end it right now before I get too attached._

She got up to gather her things and leave, but in doing so she roused Pyrrha from her slumber.

'Mmm… what time is it?'

Blake couldn't do it. She couldn't leave Pyrrha alone like that. Even if she wanted to, she didn't have the heart to hurt Pyrrha like that, even though she knew it would hurt more in the long run.

Glancing at the clock, she answered Pyrrha's question for her.

'It's almost 6:30 PM.'

Groggily staring up at Blake, Pyrrha questioned her over her attire.

'I was just going to head out and get something to eat,' Blake lied. 'Although now you're awake I suppose we can go together,' she cheerily stated.

_Yeah, it can't hurt to stay together with her like this for just a little while, right?_

Blake had made up her mind. For now at least, she would stay with Pyrrha. Whether she would continue that in the future she was still unsure of. Only time could tell whether their relationship would last or crumble.

The two of them headed to go get something to eat, and afterwards agreed to head back to Beacon. The others must have been worried sick about them, what with them not turning up to classes and mysteriously disappearing without a word. Needless to say Ozpin was waiting for them at the front entrance, ready to give them a stern talking to.

* * *

'So, why exactly were you two girls out all night, and why is it you decided to skip all of your classes today? I'm especially surprised at you, Pyrrha. You always gave the impression of a model student. Blake too, you two girls should know better.'

The two of them hung their heads in shame, acknowledging that he was right. They decided to accept whatever punishment he would grant them, however…

'But, young love is something that cannot be explained. It changes a person, and makes them do things completely out of character for them. As such, just this once I will let the two of you off the hook. But don't let it happen again, alright?'

'Yes headmaster. Thank you.'

The two girls said it in an almost rehearsed union, if not for the fact that they were so baffled by his decision. The two of them quietly headed back to their dorm rooms, Pyrrha being mobbed by an excited and worried ginger as she walked through the door. After explaining the situation, team JNPR was relatively calm. Team RWBY however, had a few more questions to ask.

'So, you spent the night out with Pyrrha?'

'Yes, Weiss. I answered you the first seven times too.'

'Aww, that's kinda cute,' Yang chipped in, relishing the situation. 'I never knew my Blakey-Wakey was such a widdle lovebird at heart!'

'Yang!'

Blake's crimson cheeks told Yang that her teasing was most definitely working as intended.

Ignoring the two of them, Blake turned to Ruby next.

'Listen, Ruby, I need to speak with you for a while,' she put forward, before turning to Yang and Weiss. '_Alone._'

'Oh come on, we're not that nosy!' Yang butted in, still giddy over Blake's cute response to her taunts.

Blake glared back at her menacingly.

'Alright, maybe we are a little bit hard to handle sometimes. Go on, we won't eavesdrop, we promise.'

Blake took Ruby's hand and led her outside to that small patch of grass she liked to sit and read in. It was quite dark and nobody else was around, all the other students preferring to stay indoors instead.

'What's up?' Ruby asked, confused as to why Blake dragged her out here.

'Listen, Ruby,' Blake began, her tone quite serious. 'Whether you realise it or not, you're really good at making and holding friendships. I need advice.'

'What do you need to know?'

'There's something I've been keeping from Pyrrha. Something I should have told her, but I lied about. I wanted to tell her, and I still do… I'm just scared of where it might lead in future. Should I tell her?'

'Well, that depends,' Ruby responded. 'I don't know much about that sort of stuff, but I'd want the person I love to tell me things rather than keep secrets bottled up inside them. If you can't trust them with everything, what makes them any different from anyone else?'

Thinking about her words, Blake realised she agreed with Ruby's statement.

'Yeah, you're right. I'll tell her.'

'If it's alright with you, mind telling me what that secret was?'

'It's about my childhood. I back when I still lived in Vacuo, I used to see Pyrrha every day on the corner of the street. She was my best friend, or rather my only friend. I started to love her, and one day she left out of nowhere. I came here to become a Huntress in the hopes of finding her again one day, but we ended up meeting out of random chance. Pretty crazy, isn't it? I mean, she guessed it was me but I lied and said she was wrong. I'm regretting that now.'

'It really was you…'

Blake and Ruby both turned to face the third voice that they had heard, and standing there on the grass, was none other than Pyrrha.


	7. IMPORTANT NOTICE

Just a notice, Opposites Attract will be going on a temporary hiatus while I write other stuff, as I'm getting quite a bit of writers block with this story at the moment. As soon as my other fanfic is finished though, this will be back, I promise!


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